Fuel storing and charging cartridge



y 5, 1954 R. L. BURCHETT 2,679,140

' FUEL STORING AND CHARGING CARTRIDGE.

Filed April 22, 1952 EA FL EURCHE TT. BYE i t Patented May 25, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF ICE FUELSTORING AND CHARGING. CARTRIDGE .Ray'- L.Burchett, .East Orange, .N. J., assignor to Ronson Art vMetal Works, 1110., Newark, NHL, a corporation of'New Jersey Application April22, 1952, iSerial:No;;283;=5:4

'2 Claims.

:Ihe invention relates to fuel storing and charging cartridges containing :fuelsasuch 1 as bu- :tane, isobutane or propane which convert into is partially filled with'fuelef'the butane type in liquid form, the cartridge-also containing a body 'of permanent gas 'under pressure substantially .hi-gher'than the vapor pressure ofthe-fuel, and also containing a floatimember which floats-upon the body of liquid fuel in'the-cartridge. 'When the diaphragm of-the cartridge ispuncturecLthe high pressure of the abovementioned body of permanent gas ejects 'the liquid 'bedy of fuel rapidly from the cartridge, and aslthe liquid level in -.the cartridge falls, "the :iioat imember moves into engagement with an annular'seat associated with the fuel delivery passagewaybf the cartridge, to sealer substantiallyseal the cartridge against-the immediateescape of thejpressurizing gets :along with the charge of liquid fuel. Thus no appreciable amount of; pressurizing;gas will pass. into the fuelichamber ofv the. lighter which; is

.being 1 charged or recharged {from the cartridge,

.' and the; f uel. charging: operatienwilknot produce .in the fuel chamberv of the lighter, .an internal gaseous pressure .higher xth-anathe vapor pressure of the. fuel.

The permanent .or pressurizing gas usedfor the above :purpose may be, for :example, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, air, or other preferably noninfiammable gas ,which doesnot react with the fuelgand in referring to a permanent gas I have referencato-amedium which'willremain in gaseous form throughout the range in temperature andgpressure whicha cigarfli hter anditscharging-cartridge maybe expectedlto encounter in normal use. "For example, a eartridgeof .the above charactermay be partially filled \with a -desired quantity ofliquid'fuel of' the butane type which has at normal room temperature a vapor pressure of between 20 and 27 p. s. i. gauge pressure, nitrogen gas then being injected into the cartridge until the gaseous pressure therein 12 reachesbetweenAS: and 200 p. s. 1. gauge, according .to the-desiredcharge of:.liquidfuel, the cartridge then being sealed. Thegreater-the volume of liquid fuel introducedinto the cartridge, the

higher the gaseous pressure requiredinthecartridge for rapid and-complete transfer of the liquidfuel'from the cartridge into the fuel chamber-of the-lighter. Thusthe gaseouspressurein the cartridge will be substantially :higher than the vapor pressure of the fuel and only a-small fraotion of the fuel in the cartridge Will be in gaseous form so-longasrthe cartridge is sealed.

When the cartridge is; attached to the lighter.- and punctured to oarryoutthe fue1= chargingoperation,- theexpansicn-of-thepressurizing gasunder high pressure will cause the liquid fuel to be in- -jected very'rapidly-intoethe fuelchamberof the lighter and. then the cartridge will be pressure sealed by-the -float-memberas above mentioned, to prevent the passageof the v pressurizing gas intothe .fuel: chamber of the lighter. At the: time the seal is thus effected, thegaseouspressurein contained .which taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, shows a-fuelstoring and charging cartridge constructed to operate in accordancewith the invention; the disclosure however shouldbe considered as merely illustrativeof the invention in its broader aspects. In the drawings- .iFig. .1 :isa central longitudinal section :taken throu h a preferredzform of cartridge, the latter being shown :in the inverted :position which it should assume :duringtthe fuel charging-operation.

Fig. 2 isaasimiiar viewshowing the cartridge in chargingrelation to a cigar'lighter, and at the completion of the fuel charging operation.

Fig.3 is eanenlarge'd sectional view of-an injection val-ve mechanismconstituting part of the lighter shewniinFi-g. 2.

The cartridge is shown as having a hollow cylindrical-metallic casing or shell- Lfrom which extends-a neck 2-into which is-received a nozzles, "having a puncturable diaphragm 8 which hermetically seals theinterior of the cartridge. The nozzle fl may *be provided with screw threads 5 for engagement with the injection mechanism of a lighter as hereinafter described, and as above stated the cartridge should be understood as artially filled with a body 6 of fuel of butane type in liquid form, and with a body 6a of pressurizing gas thereabove at a pressure higher than the vapor pressure of the fuel.

The lighter casing i has therein a fuel chamber 8 into which the butane type fuel is to be charged, and stored partly in liquid and partly in gaseous form. For fuel charging purposes the lighter is shown as provided with a valve housing 9 having a hollow threaded stud H! therein, into which the threaded portion 5 of the cartridge is screwed. An elastic washer l l is held in position by the stud ill, and except during the fuel charging operation a cup-like valve member i2 is urged by a spring !3, and also by the internal pressure in chamber 8, into sealing engagement with the inner surface of the washer H, thereby to seal the chamber 3. This relationship of the parts is shown in Fig. 3.

When the cartridge i is screwed into the valve mechanism as shown in Fig. 2, a puncturing head I4 on the valve member l2 pierces the diaphragm 4 after member i2 has been pushed down into seating engagement with the housing 9 as shown in Fig. 2, and thereupon the body of liquid fuel 6 in the cartridge i will be forced by the pressure of the pressurizing gas 6a, through the slot if: in the puncturing head 14 down through the space surrounding the valve member 12, and through the slot 1 6 in valve housing 9 into the fuel chamber 8.

During the fuel charging operation, the fuel cartridge and the lighter should be held in inverted position as shown in Fig. 2, to insure that the body 5 of liquid fuel will be initially forced in liquid form into chamber 8, before the pres- I surizing gas and the relatively smaller amount of fuel in gaseous form which will be admixed therewith, reaches chamber 8.

During the charging operation, as the liquid level in the cartridge falls, the float member if which is carried by the body of liquid fuel, ap-- proaches the fuel passageway l8 in nozzle 3, and when the ejection of liquid fuel from the cartridge has been substantially completed, this float member I! will be pressed by the relatively high gaseous pressure in the cartridge (which pressure will still be substantially above the vapor pres sure of the fuel) into engagement with the annular seat I 9 in nozzle 3, thus sealing or substantially sealing the cartridge against the egress of the pressurizing gas and the relatively small amount of fuel in gaseous form which will be admixed therewith.

The float member 51, being of larger diameter than the passageway I8, may be inserted into the casing 5 before the nozzle 3 is assembled therewith, after which the cartridge will be charged with fuel and pressurizing gas as above described, and the nozzle 3 is welded in place. The float member I'l may be constructed for example of synthetic rubber of the buna-n type having non-communicating cells or pores therein, the porosity of such compounds being controllable to alter the specific gravity thereof, to provide a float member having a specific gravity of about .5 at 160 p. s. 1. gauge pressure. Preferably the float member i7 is molded into the form of a sphere having a non porous surface, and it may be somewhat deformable under pressure, so as to effect a substantially fluid-tight seal when pressed into engagement with the annular seat l9; however a very slow leak past the float will not be seriously objectionable, so long as a blow out is avoided, since the charging operation is completed in a short interval, and the cartridge normally will soon be disconnected from the lighter and discarded.

The above disclosed form of injection valve mechanism should be considered as merely illustrative, and while the invention has been disclosed as carried out by a cartridge of the above described specific construction, it should be understood that changes may be made therein without departing from the invention in its broader aspects, within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A portable fuel storing and charging cartridge of the character described having a hermetically sealed hollow casing, said casing containing in liquid form, a body of fuel of the butane type and also containing permanent gas at a pressure substantially higher than the vapor pressure of the fuel, said permanent gas at pressure higher than the vapor pressure of the fuel being in admixture with fuel in gaseous form, said casing having a fuel conducting passageway therein, a puncturable diaphragm sealing said passageway, said cartridge having an annular seat interposed between said diaphragm and the interior of said casing, and a float member carried by the aforesaid body of liquid fuel, said float member being engageable with said annular seat to prevent the pressurizing gas from escaping from the cartridge along with the liquid fuel, when the said diaphragm is punctured to cause ejection of the liquid fuel from said casing by the pressure of the gas within said casing.

2. A portable fuel storing and charging cartridge of the character described having a hermetically sealed hollow casing, said casing containing in liquid form, a body of fuel of the butane type and also containing permanent gas at a pressure substantially higher than the vapor pressure of the fuel, said permanent gas at pressure higher than the vapor pressure of the fuel being in admixture with fuel in gaseous form, said casing having an ejection nozzle extending therefrom,-s'aid nozzle having a fuel conducting passageway therein, a puncturable diaphragm sealing said passageway, said cartridge having an annular seat interposed between said diaphragm and the interior of said casing, and a float member carried by the aforesaid body of liquid fuel, said float member comprising a substantially spherical body of synthetic rubber of the buna-n type having non-communicating pores therein, and being engageable with said annular seat to prevent the pressurizing gas from escaping from the cartridge along with the liquid fuel, when the said diaphragm is punctured to cause ejection of the liquid fuel from said casing by the pressure of the gas within said casing.

References Cited in the file of this paten UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,402,835 Bywater et al Jan. 10, 1922 2,160,043 Threm May 30, 1939 2,550,840 Martin et al May 1, 1951 2,594,755 Felt Apr. 29, 1952 

